The rumor: The Yankees are interested in trading for Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus as a replacement for Derek Jeter, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman .
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The rationale: At the moment, the Yankees’ depth chart on MLB.com has exactly one player listed at shortstop. That’s Brendan Ryan. Nobody thinks the Yankees are prepared to open their first post-Jeter year with a 33-year-old shortstop who has hit .192 in 294 major-league games over the past three seasons.
Andrus has been an outstanding defensive shortstop (though his 2014 defensive metrics slipped a bit), he’s solid at the plate for the position (career .272 average, .335 on-base percentage, average of 32 stolen bases a year) and he’ll be just 26 heading into next season. Plus, he’s already locked into a long-term deal. He’s not cheap — the eight-year, $120 million extension he signed in April 2013 kicks in for the 2015 season — but the deal would provide position certainty for a long time.
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The reality: This one makes a lot of sense, for both sides. As mentioned, the Yankees have to address the position in one way or another, and they’d love to find someone who’s more than a one-year replacement.
When the Rangers signed Andrus to the massive extension, they’d been to the playoffs three consecutive years, including back-to-back trips to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. But 2014 was a disaster for the franchise, mostly because of injuries, and considering they have a potential shortstop replacement in Jurickson Profar, the opportunity to get out from that $120 million deal might seem like a good option.
And that might work in the Yankees’ favor. They don’t have the greatest stockpile of minor-league talent, but their willingness to take on most or all of the money owed to Andrus would lower the prospect/player return necessary to land Andrus.
